Wisconsin Taken to Court on Free-Speech Grounds After a Crackdown on Protests Tied to 2011 Collective-Bargaining Vote

Each weekday at noon, dozens of people gather in Wisconsin's state capitol in Madison to sing protest songs, a remnant of the fight two years ago over a bill eliminating many collective-bargaining rights for the state's public-employee unions.

Increasingly, the singalong is landing in court. State officials since last fall have been ticketing the singers for not getting regular permits. The administration of Republican Gov. Scott...